Commissioners to Transfer Oversight of Klickitat County Jail; Songer Objects
Klickitat County Courthhouse. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
By Cole Goodwin
Goldendale, WA, June 4, 2024 — Klickitat County Commissioners have decided to form a new County Department of Corrections which would oversee operational changes and improvement to Klickitat County Jail. Including appointments of a Jail Administrator to run and operate the jail and the establishment of a medical clinic on site. The new Jail Administrator will report directly to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer has opposed the decision.
Commissioners and Songer have been engaged in conflict over managment of the jail following two high profile incidents that became public earlier this year. The first being the filing of a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit in January. The lawsuit concerns an individual who committed suicide while experiencing fentanyl withdrawl. And the second being an incident which occured in November concerning a female inmate who “appeared at a local hospital covered in bugs, potentially septic, and smelling of “rotting flesh”. The incidents shocked many members of the public despite Songer’s insistence that staff tried to get help for the inmates invovled but that they can’t “force anyone to do anything because that would be a violation of their Constitutional rights.”
The controversy surrounding Klickitat County Jail has continued to unfold following recent town halls and County Commissioners meetings, highlighting deep divisions within the County around law enforcement's approach to inmate care.
The Road So Far
Songer, appointed former gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp to manage the jail last year.
Culp has publicly lamented the jail being understaffed and noted that although there are accreditation standards for jails, Klikickitat County Jail is unaccredited. Following recent incidents Culp has also said that Washington State failed to provide adequate training for Corrections Deputies. Noting that one-third of Klickitat County Corrections Deputies are untrained and will be unable to access training until 2026.
Sheriff Songer and Loren Culp.
Commissioners Fact Finding Mission
In March County Commissioners began a fact finding mission in into the incidents that occurred at the jail and voted to direct staff to begin making inquiries into their options for transitioning the jail or closing of the jail. Read more about that here.
Loren Culp’s Expulsion from WASPC
A screenshot from Youtube shows the Loren Culp’s expulsion letter. Click here to watch the video.
In April Culp was expelled from the Washington Association of Sheriff’s and Police Chief’s (WASPC) after his membership came under scrutiny due to offensive social media posts. While there was much media coverage of the potential expulsion, the expulsion does not impact Culp’s ability to work as a Peace Officer.
Sheriff’s Town Hall
On May 25, 2024, Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer held a town hall meeting to address concerns and outline the potential drawbacks of the county commissioners' plans to transition the jail’s oversight and potentially close the jail. The meeting was meant to clarify the sheriff's stance and gather public input. The heated discussions seemed to further highlight existing divisions and political rivalries and spark further debate over the handling of the jail. During the meeting, Bob Songer also showed a video from conservative anti-government activist KrisAnn Hall about the Constitutional Sheriff’s Movement and accused his opposition of spreading “lies and half-truths”.
BOCC Decides to Oversee Jail
The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), conducted a workshop on May 29 to review four potential plans for the jail. The four options included:
Contracting with Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility (NORCOR) and closing the jail entirely.
Keeping the jail open as a place to book and temporarily hold people in custody.
Building a new jail.
Creating a new department to supervise the jail which will report to the Board of Commissioners.
The BOCC ultimately decided to maintain the current Jail and create a new county Department of Corrections that would oversee operational changes and improvements, including appointments of a Jail Administrator to run and operate the jail and the establishment of a medical clinic on site. The new Jail Administrator will report directly to the Board of County Commissioners.
Commissioners have an eye down the road to potentially contract with NORCOR but maintain booking and holding in Goldendale. Songer was critical of this possibility in his press release.
“All arrests on the West end of the county made by city and county deputies will still have to travel all the way to Goldendale aka twice the distance they would have to if at NORCOR,” said Songer.
The decision to transfer oversight came following a staff report on the Sheri'ff’s Office finances which demonstrated that the jail’s budget was routinely used to supplement the Administrative and Patrol budgets between 2021 and 2023. The 44 page report concluded that the Sheriff had underspent on the jail by $67,505 from 2021-2023.
The report also showed that the Jail owed $192,000 in unpaid bills to Klickitat Valley Health. Some of the bills were three years old.
Sheriff Songer Responds to BOCC Decision
Songer has responded to the news of the jail’s transition in oversight similarly to how he has responded to the potential closure: reiterating his statements that he felt the decision was hasty and that Klickitat County Jail should not be closed.
On June 3, 2024 he released a press release which vehemently opposed a transition of oversight or a potential jail closure. In the press release, the Sheriff accused the County of making unnecessarily hasty decisions and “flat out lying” to him, his staff and the public about negotiations with NORCOR and the financial implications of transferring inmates.
“It is clear that Commissioners Zoller and Anderson FLAT OUT LIED to the Sheriff, his employees, other law enforcement agencies and the PUBLIC AT LARGE, when Commissioners Zoller and Anderson stated they had a contract with NORCOR to house our inmates on April 12, and would be closing the Klickitat County Jail by April 30, 2024,” said Songer.
The Sheriff's press release also detailed an alternative evaluation of the jail conducted by Franklin County Sheriff J.D. Raymond at Songer’s request. The assessment reportedly praised the cleanliness and operation of the Klickitat County Jail, contradicting narratives of negligence and mismanagement.
Songer has continued to say the decision was politically motivated.
“This is a political sham being carried out by Commissioners Zoller and Anderson,” said Songer.
He also accused Commissioner Jacob Anderson of having a personal vendetta against him.
“Commissioner Anderson hates me, because in 2022, I tried to get him charged for allowing a juvenile beer party to continue at his Airbnb, that he owns in White Salmon, Washington. The prosecutor in Walla Walla refused to file charges. A County Commissioner should be held to a higher standard and not break the law. So, Commissioner Anderson has a conflict with me over that incident,” said Songer.
Songer concluded his press release by saying the County should have held a special election to put the decision before voters.
To read a pdf of the full press release click here.
BOCC Responds to Sheriff Songer’s Accusations
Commissioner Jacob Anderson responded to Songer’s claims, stating that his part in making the decision to transfer oversight of the jail was not personal or political.
Jacob Anderson.
"It's time we put aside personal grievances and focus on the well-being of our community. Effective jail management is not about politics, but about providing safe and humane conditions for all inmates,” said Anderson.
"Our decision was never about closing the jail hastily; it was about ensuring a thorough, transparent review and implementing necessary reforms.”
“The Sheriff’s accusation that the board lied to the public is completely unfounded. The original motion simply directed staff to enter into negotiations; at no point did Commissioner Zoller or I state that a contract was already in place,” said Commissioner Anderson.
Lori Zoller
Commissioner Lori Zoller expressed shock and dismay at the Sheriff’s press release noting that the sheriff had previously agreed to facilitate a smooth transition.
“This is a total surprise as on the 29th at 5 p.m. after our meeting the Sheriff reached out and stated he understood the decision and would do anything he could do to help with an easy transition,” Zoller said in an email.
Zoller also criticized the release for containing "many errors and much misinformation" and condemned it as political grandstanding at a time when unity is crucial due to impending litigation.
“As the BOCC we are trying hard to heal the County around a very serious situation. The pandering of misinformation and grandstanding for political reasons by some needs to stop. Division is no way to move forward. We are facing some very serious litigation and we certainly need to all get on the same team,” said Zoller.
Dan Christopher
Commissioner Dan Christopher took a different stance, saying he didn't disagree with the Sheriff’s statements.
“There isn’t much in the Sheriff’s statement that I disagree with. I have and will always believe the initial motion by Commissioner Zoller and Anderson to close the jail in 14 days was made in haste, with little to no evidence or documentation to justify the closing. There has still been no official investigations of current policy and or documented proof of mistreatment or misconduct by the sheriff or his staff,” said Christopher.
“With that, I think it was crystal clear in the BOCC workshop on May 30th that the forecasted jail budget impact report is severely lacking. That being said I find no reason the board ever made a motion to close the jail in 14 days without research, as opposed to a motion to research and educate themselves on choices for future jail decisions. The only explanation possible? Politics.” concluded Christopher.
CCCNews will continue to update the public on further developments concerning the Klickitat County Jail as they occur.
To read previous coverage on the Klickitat County Jail click here.
